How old were you when you started dreaming of horses?
Before you tell me that you weren’t raised in a barn or that your parents couldn’t afford to give you lessons, pause a moment…
Just about every woman I have ever met gets a shining look in her eye when she remembers the girl she was and how she once imagined riding, befriending, or flying away with the horse of her dreams.
That’s the thing about horses… they speak to the soul in a way that few animals can.
It’s their size and their power, sure. It’s their beauty and all the centuries of stories that are braided into their beautiful manes as well.
Really, though, I think we’re drawn to the horse’s gentleness, sensitivity, and their way of being in relationship with the world around them that speaks to the soul - both when we’re little girls trying to figure out who we are and when we’re grown women trying to find our way back to ourselves.
The Journey to the Horse. The Journey Back to Yourself.
My own story with horses began when I was a four year-old who was equally fascinated by and terrified of the ponies at a place called Kiddie Wonderland. It was magical and traumatic in equal measure.
Horses weren’t in the family budget, but I finally got to horse camp when I was twelve. Instead of living my dream, I remember being yelled at and belittled in a toxic space ruled by patriarchal “power over” rules.
Finally, as a psychotherapist in my mid-thirties, my professional curiosity brought me back to the barn. I became certified in Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy (EFP).
Actually, that’s not really how it went… When I was 36, I went to a dance class and met a colleague who offered EFP. As soon as I heard about the kind of therapy she did I knew I had to accept her invitation to meet the horses.
Five years later, that colleague and I share a beautiful barn space and bring therapy and coaching clients, as well as women’s groups, to work with the horses all the time.
What can you learn about yourself and your vision for the future when you look into the eyes of a horse?
Now that my dreams of horses have become my lived reality, so many of the ideas that I knew in my head became fully real in my heart and my body...
Through horses, we find humility and honesty. They see through even the lies we tell ourselves.
Horses teach us more about relationships that we can imagine, including the dance between individuality and community and what it really means to set and honor boundaries.
When you spend time with horses, you learn to use your power: how to ask without demanding and how to offer forgiveness without giving up yourself.
To know a horse is to know compassion. To know a horse, you must truly know yourself.
I invite you to come to the barn with me to meet the horses
Put simply, horses can help you heal. That’s why I offer Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy at our ______, Virginia barn. You can learn more about my therapy practice here.
Horses can also help us become more connected, confident leaders. Horses can help hold space for you as you grow, evolve, and develop a new vision for how you want to show up in the world.
As part of my coaching packages for empowered, embodied women who want to transform the way they live, work, and lead, I offer special sessions and retreat opportunities.
Horses have a way of connecting you to your authentic self and spirit. They help you find your place in the world as they call you back to your original nature.
